copperplate

American  

[kop-er-pleyt] / ˈkɒp ərˌpleɪt /

noun

1. a plate of polished copper on which a writing, picture, or design is made by engraving or etching.

2. a print or impression from such a plate.

3. engraving or printing of this kind.

4. a fine, elegant style of handwriting.

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copperplate British  

/ ˈkɒpəˌpleɪt /

noun

1. a polished copper plate on which a design has been etched or engraved

2. a print taken from such a plate

3. a fine handwriting based upon that used on copperplate engravings

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Etymology

Origin of copperplate

First recorded in 1655–65; copper ¹ + plate ¹

Example Sentences

Her eyes were intense, staring so fiercely up at me from the copperplate that I recognized her right away.

From Literature

In fact, only a single dot over an i had been missing at the end, says the calligrapher, with no nightmare spelling mistakes discovered in the hand-stitched pages of copperplate writing.

From BBC

The copperplate lines are so exact they mimic the individual venation of feathers; the neck of a gyrfalcon takes on all the ripply realism of moiréd silk.

From New York Times

In Nicole Phillip-Dowe's office at the University of the West Indies, in Grenada's capital St George's, we pored over record books, where officials with copperplate handwriting recorded the annual births and deaths of the enslaved.

From BBC

He learned his reading and had a fair copperplate hand.

From Literature